Buffs AD faces speculation as story surfaces about six Big 12 teams being invited.

SAN FRANCISCO — Long-rumored interest by the Pac-10 Conference in inviting Colorado heated up Thursday amid an online report that turned the Big 12 meetings, which ended with a scheduled news conference being canceled, into a whirlwind of speculation.

The report, by Orangebloods.com, an Austin, Texas-based website affiliate of Rivals.com, says Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott is prepared to offer invitations to Colorado and five other Big 12 schools — Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State — at the end of this weekend's Pac-10 meetings in San Francisco.

After arriving in Colorado from the Big 12 meetings in Kansas City, Mo., CU athletic director Mike Bohn told The Denver Post by phone he has no idea if it will happen.

"I don't have any indication to personally believe that," Bohn said. "But a lot of people feel that's part of the strategy."

The half-dozen would join Arizona and Arizona State in an eastern division, with the other eight Pac-10 schools forming a western division. The arrangement would include seven of the nation's top 20 TV markets.

The website also said Fox Cable Network, the driving force behind the thriving Big Ten Network and which has the current Pac-10 contract, is ready to offer a contract that would provide the 16 teams $20 million each.

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"Speculation is running rampant, at a higher level than in the last six months," Bohn said. "Do I know we'll get an invite? No, absolutely not. I have no confirmation other than a lot of people are talking about it."

Earlier Thursday before leaving Kansas City, Bohn told the Boulder Daily Camera, "The longer that we were together in Kansas City, it appeared that that rumor or speculation did have some validity to it."

Scott told The Denver Post on Thursday that nothing has been decided, nor has anything been discussed with TV networks.

"We've made no decisions about expansion whatsoever," Scott said. "The report suggests we've made a decision. That's not correct. We're going to have another round of updates."

It is believed Scott's biggest targets are Texas and Texas A&M and observers agree they bring more marketing clout than Colorado and Utah, two schools previously linked to the Pac-10.

"We've not defined a specific goal," Scott said. "What I've been saying for some time is the Pac-10 is very undervalued in its current form."

Asked if he will not invite any new teams by the end of his meetings Sunday, Scott left the door open slightly, saying, "I don't expect anything definitive."

Meanwhile, Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe raised speculation in Kansas City when he canceled a news conference shortly after the report surfaced and said meetings would continue into the night. He added the conference would not have a comment until today.

"We're not having any discussions with anybody but the Big 12," Castiglione said.

Scott came to the Pac-10 in July from the World Tennis Association. The conference gave him a mandate to increase revenue when the current $52.3 million TV deal with Fox and ESPN expires at the end of the 2011-12 basketball season. Just this spring, he hired media consultants. He said he has not discussed expansion with proposed networks.

"Contrarily, we contractually have to have exclusive negotiations with incumbent broadcasters ESPN/ABC and F0x," he said. "No, we've had no negotiations and don't intend to until the contractual period ends."

The only market in the western U.S. that would bring a significant number of TVs to the Pac-10 is Texas. However, corralling Texas and Texas A&M would be difficult. Wednesday in Kansas City, Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds and Texas A&M Bill Byrne said they would not want the Pac-10 because it's two time zones away.

However, the big question is if Scott could attract a mega-TV deal with the current 10 teams, even if he adds a conference title game. Last month, the ACC landed a $1.86 billion, 12-year deal from ESPN.

Asked if the Pac-10 can stand pat and get richer, Scott said: "Absolutely. The Pac-10 in its current form is well-structured. It's pure and admired. It has a true round robin in football and we've got a true round robin in basketball. A lot is made about the Pac-10 as it is, and we may decide not to expand at all."

Scott said he is in no hurry to make a decision. His only timetable is he must begin media negotiations by early January. Still, by the end of the year he must know how many schools will consider his conference before negotiating with television.

"Nothing's changed in terms of our timetable," Scott said. "We've been very consistent."

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